Customer Reviews

Smith of Wootton Major

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People who know anything about the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien know that he disliked allegory. That makes "Smith of Wootton Major" a bit of an oddity among his writings, but not an unwelcome one. It's a sweetly fantastical little fable that drips over with Tolkien's love of real, deep fairy tales.

It takes place in a little town "not very long ago for those with long memories, not very far away fro those with long legs." The Master Cook of that village takes a vacation, and returns with an apprentice in tow. But something odd happens at the Feast of the Cake -- the cook stirs in a "fay-star" with little trinkets in the cake, and it's accidently swallowed by a boy there.

The boy (later called Smith) is changed by the fay-star, which sparkles on his forehead. When he grows up Smith ventures into Faery itself, and even meets the Faery Queen herself. The message she gives him is for her mysterious, missing husband, the King -- who turns out to be the last person anybody in Wootton Major would have expected.

"Smith" is a fairy tale in the best sense. Don't expect cackling witches or convenient loopholes in spells here; Tolkien was too skilled for that. Instead we have majestic fey and sparkling magic, woven with a tidy medieval town. (Not to mention the custom of naming people after their jobs -- Smith, a smith, capisce?) Never once does it become precious or cutesy.

It's among Tolkien's simpler writings. In fact, it's so simple that it barely has a plot -- the vanishing King is the closest thing it has. But Tolkien's writing sparkles with little details of the fey, with only a minimum of description. His glimpses of Faerieland are too brief, but they're also reminiscent of a few passages from "Lord of the Rings."

A sweet, fantastical little story, this is one of Tolkien's lesser-known but still deserving stories. Charmingly symbolic.

J.R.R. Tolkien's short work, "Smith of Wooten Major," which he wrote late in life, has already appeared in several fine editions, both by itself and in combination with other pieces by Tolkien, and most of us Tolkien enthusiasts already have it on our shelves. So why another one now, and why should we buy it? There are several compelling things about this book that make it highly attractive to those seeking a deeper understanding of Tolkien as a writer and thinker, and I'll only mention four here. First, this extended edition includes an important never-before-published essay by Tolkien on the story and on Tolkien's views of the nature of Faery, of its importance to him, of faery tales, and of the role of allegory in stories of this kind. It is a fascinating piece that provides new insight into Tolkien's thought as an artist trying to capture glimpses of Faery in his writing. The essay is in some ways an echoing companion piece for his famous earlier essay "On Fairy Stories," in which, among other things, Tolkien outlines his theory of sub-creation that he executed so successfully in "The Lord of the Rings." Second, the book contains never-before-published early notes and draft manuscripts for Smith, several pages of which are reproduced in the book itself in their original hand-written form with helpful transcriptions on the opposite page. These papers not only show Tolkien actively creating and revising his story and the history of its characters, but they also show Tolkien's working methods as a writer and so demonstrate, in a microcosm, the methods he used on such a large scale for "The Lord of the Rings." Third, Flieger's editorial contributions are very helpful. She provides an afterword that discusses the critical treatement of Smith, its genesis as a story, and outlines the new material which, as she says, allow the reader to follow "the authorial progression from explanation to inspiration to formulation to painstaking revision." Flieger's notes are also very helpful, for she points us to relevant matters in Tolkien's other works and illuminates puzzling aspects of Smith. And fourth, this is perhaps the first edition of Smith that takes Tolkien's statements that it is not a children's story seriously. He called Smith "an old man's book, already weighted with the presage of bereavement." Previous editions of Smith have ignored this statement and dressed the tale up as a children's book, presumably based on the unquestioned assumption (which Tolkien questioned very sharply in "On Fairy Stories") that because this is a faery tale, and because it is short, it must be for children. This edition honors Tolkien's view not only of Smith but of the importance of Faery and faery stories in general by beautifully reproducing the tale and the lovely Pauline Baynes illustrations, which were made for the first edition, and by setting them within a handsome hardcover text that Tolkien readers will prize very highly. This is a must have.

This short, lovely, late tale by Tolkien is not only a fine fairy tale, but a poetic meditation on the craft and Art of the fantasy writer - the Myth Maker. Enjoyable simply as a story for readers of any age, it offers quiet and rich rewards to those who wish to read more deeply. If possible, look for the earlier edition with the original Pauline Baynes illustrations. A reminder that true fantasy ultimately deals with the Mysteries ...

For a girl named Eowyn, it may sound sacreligious to claim that anything rates above The Lord Of The Rings in my mind, but Smith does. There is a purity, a simplicity in form, and a brilliantly honest charm in this tale that matches and surpasses any other of Tolkien's writings. Something of a classic, traditional, and yet also thoroughly original fairy, pardon faery tale shines through any of it's varied covers, making it the star of any shelf.

This new extended edition, edited by the estimable Verlyn Flieger, is a must-have for students and admirers of Tolkien. Of course, most of you will already have Smith of Wootton Major on your bookshelves, either in its own volume or in one of the several collections in which it has been reprinted -- so why get another copy?

Because Verlyn Flieger has included several additional (and essential) pieces to the Smith puzzle that have never been available before. These include: Flieger's introduction and afterword on Smith; Tolkien's Note to Clyde Kilby on the Genesis of Smith; his draft preface to a proposed new edition of George MacDonald's The Golden Key, from which kindling the story of Smith was struck -- though the preface was abandoned and the edition of The Golden Key never published; a long essay by Tolkien on the internals of Smith; a timetable and cast of characters with never-before-published details; and most interestingly, the entire draft of Smith, in both typescript and manuscript, reproduced in facsimile.

This is invaluable material for anybody interested in the development and meaning of Smith of Wootton Major. Prior to this edition, Verlyn Flieger quoted from some of these unpublished pieces in her 1997 volume A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faėrie, and even Tom Shippey (in The Road to Middle-earth) acknowledged the advantage she had in having seen this material. Now, it's available to all of us.

My one complaint about the book is that it is poorly produced (by HarperCollins, Tolkien's British publisher). The production quality -- and sadly, this is typical of British-made books of the past several decades -- is rather low. The spine is glued, rather than sewn, and it creaks and cracks, threatening to break any time the book is opened. The paper is like stiff newsprint and has a tendency to smudge. Terrible. But unfortunately, this volume has not been printed in the U.S., and the content is important enough to overcome the lackluster production quality.

JRR Tolkien's late work Smith of Wootton Major has been published in a variety of formats. The version I am reviewing here is the Extended Version edited by Verlyn Flieger. It is preferable to all other versions, and it is unfortunate that Tolkien's US publishers have not made it widely available here.

Smith was first published in 1967. It is a charming story, set outside of Middle earth, in a place and time that still has links to Faery. Certain privileged individuals, such as Smith, are able to travel in Faery and learn from its wise inhabitants. The story is usually taken to be Tolkien's admission that his life was coming to its end and that his gifts must be passed on.

The Extended Version publishes Tolkien's original plans and drafts for the story, including a fascinating chronology that recalls the intricate Tale of Years in the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings. Part of the charm of Tolkien's works is the extensive and very apparent preparation he put into his tales. Nothing was ever produced without a long pre-history of writings and re-writings that often changed the story many times before it reached its final form. Flieger's editorial comments add much to our understanding and appreciation of this work as well.

Everything Tolkien wrote has an air of Faery at its best. This short work, which can be read in an hour or so, has some of the deepest and most inspiring links to that realm. It is the fay star which can be passed on but never given up, immeasurably enriching those who read it in the right spirit.

In the little town of Wootton Major, they have a wonderful tradition where a special cake is baked every twenty four years, and eaten by twenty four good children. But, when a magical Faery star is slipped into this year's cake, it is eaten by the local smith's son. And so the life of the younger smith is changed beyond anyone's imagination - he is marked by beauty of face and voice, and (unbeknownst to anyone) he can even visit the land of Faery whenever he likes. It is a life of magic and giving.

I have long been familiar with J.R.R. Tolkein's famous books - The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings - but, this cute little book shows that just about everything that he put his hand to he did beautifully! This is a most wonderful little book, one that is sure to charm anyone who believes in beauty and wonder...and maybe hopes just a little that that land of Faery is a real place after all!

Spare, solid, straightforward, honest--and enchanting. Devour it in an hour, savor it for a lifetime.

This book is a must-have for anyone who ever was interested in Tolkien's short fiction. All of this book reeks of quality, from the layout and aspect, to the texts contained within.

Why should you buy it? It's true that the story was published many times over, and is part of collections of Tolkien's works already, but this book is so much better, being entirely devoted to the story.

First of all, the tale itself is reproduced in facsimile from the first edition with Pauline Bayne's illustrations, which is something you'll not find in many editions.

Secondly, there is a lot of extra material here, including Tolkien's first draft of the story (complete in facsimile manuscript and transliterated for ease of reading), as well as other texts by Tolkien and a solid commentary by the editor.

The only bad thing which could be said (and that's of very little significance overall) is that the notes all lie at the end of the book, but there is no reference to them anywhere in the text. That being said, you might go on reading all through the book and then find out that some names, concepts etc. which you already read about were further explained in these notes. Adding some numbers in the text itself, pointing to the notes, would have been nice. But that is not enough to lower my 5* star rating, for a really remarcable literary accomplishment.

A visit to Faery. Beware. It may touch your soul.

While Tolkiens' dislike for allegory is well known, this compact tale takes the reader perelously close.

Best read with the heart of a child.